Business Discourse

Abstract

Research and Practice in Applied LinguisticsSeries Standing Order ISBN 978-1-403-91184-1 hardcover 978-1-403-91185-8 paperback (outside North America only)You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. Please contact your bookseller or, in case of diffi culty, write to us at the address below with your name and address, the title of the series and the ISBN quoted above.

Social Actors “to Go”: An Analytical Toolkit to Explore Agency in Business Discourse and Communication

“…It is probably because of this aspect of social actor analysis that it has received considerable attention in the analysis of media and political discourse, but much less in studies of business and professional communication. We see this as part of a wider reluctance to engage in critical analysis in this area, which has been noted by both Koester (2006) and Bargiela-Chiappini et al (2013).…”

Reflections on the Ins and Outs of Business and Professional Discourse Research

“…It is from this intriguing space between theory and practice that the notion and exploration of the IN and OUT that this volume deals with emerge: as identifying and establishing shared goals, priorities and methods of enquiry to link and help mediate perspectives from both scholarly and professional points of view, while at the same time building a bridge for collaborative problem solving and mutual trust. In line with Bargiela-Chiappini et al (2013), we see the study of business and professional discourse as essentially contextual and intertextual, but also as self-reflective and self-critical, and working towards reconciling the prescriptive ambitions of the US-centred business communication tradition with a more descriptive approach favoured in discourse studies and applied linguistics elsewhere (see Swales & Rogers, 1995 for an early collaboration). Interestingly, Bargiela-Chiappini et al (2013) present profiles of a wide range of researchers who have approached business and the professions from very different angles, including Gina Poncini, who calls on scholars to go "into the company to do research on actual communicative practices" and seek "interdisciplinary dialogue and collaborative work with scholars from other disciplines" (35), Leena Louhiala-Salminen, who promotes "the utilitarian goal of disseminating knowledge that increases the effectiveness and efficiency of business operations" (35) and Janet Holmes, who is in favour of "integrating quantitative and qualitative research approaches, and the need to describe as much context as is needed to understand what is going on" (37).…”

“…In fact, it is far from clear what exactly is covered by the terms "business" and "professional". In this volume we take them to refer to language and communication in or around the workplace, a relatively new but fast-growing research area served by major international journals like the International Journal of Business Communication , Business and Professional Communication Quarterly , the Journal of Business and Technical Communication , the Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice and English for Special Purposes along with important handbooks, anthologies and monographs, including but not limited to Candlin (2002), Koester (2006), Bhatia & Gotti (2006), Palmer-Silveira, Ruiz-Garrido & Fortanet-Gómez (2006), Garzone & Ilie (2007), Bargiela-Chiappini (2009), Gunnarsson (2009), Gotti (2011), Candlin & Sarangi (2011), Varcasia (2013), Bargiela-Chiappini et al (2013), Schnurr (2013), Kong (2014) and Bhatia & Bremner (2014). In the past two decades or so, these and other studies have generated a wide range of research focusing on institutional and organizational practices in scientific, medical, legislative, legal and business contexts, some with a clear intercultural, multilingual or critical perspective, others looking to connect with classroom teaching and pedagogy or consultancy and practice.…”

Identity Transition and Career Development of Chinese BE Teachers under the Context of BELF

“…English as a lingua franca (ELF) is widely used in international business as a common language by business people with different language and cultural background. Business English as a lingua franca or English as a Business lingua franca (BELF) has aroused great research interest in the fields of ELF, ESP, business communication, pragmatics and cross-cultural communication (Charles, 2007;Planken, 2005;Rogersson-Revell, 2010;Bargiela-Chiappini, Nickerson, & Planken, 2013;Gerritsen & Nickerson, 2007； Kankaanranta, Louhiala-Salminen, Karhunen, 2015Kankaanranta, & Louhiala-Salminen, 2013;Nickerson, 2005Nickerson, , 2015Kankaanranta & Planken, 2010). In China, since Business English as an undergraduate program was approved by the Ministry of Education in 2006 and Business English Studies as a discipline and postgraduate program was initiated in 2008, researches have emerged on the qualities and competence required of the BE teachers, identity change of GE teachers to BE teachers, and the career development of BE teachers.…”